Tag: the peace of God

What Does it Mean to Be Blessed?

On By Carmen1 Comment

We’ve all seen the decorative motif “BLESSED” worn or displayed proudly on personal items like t-shirts, bracelets, pillows, and—yes, even on license plates!

But what does it mean to be blessed?

I think many of us would agree that a blessing is something that benefits us and makes us happy.

For example, a blessing could be something that we’ve been wanting or anticipating, like a home or a trip that we’ve been saving for.

It could be having enough money in an account to take care of emergencies, help others, or provide for anything you want or need.

Or it could even be something that is not material or monetary, like good news from the doctor about a health concern.

Let’s take a look at what the Bible says about blessings.

The Blessing of Peace

In the book of Philippians, the apostle Paul writes to those in the church in Philippi about having peace in their daily lives.

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 4:6-7

What a blessing peace is in the midst of turmoil!

God wants us to have this type of peace “that surpasses all understanding” when we face uncertain times much like today.

We are experiencing many issues within and outside the U.S. that make the most confident of men concerned.

Economic uncertainty, division (even within our families and churches) due to political turmoil, and wars and rumors of wars are at an all-time high.

When we understand and believe that God is still on the throne, we can give these concerns to Him and relax knowing that He is in charge of ALL the affairs of the world.

This doesn’t mean that we have a nonchalant attitude. On the contrary, we should stay informed of what’s going on, but we don’t let it overwhelm us and ruin our peace.

If you’re a child of God and you’ve walked with Him through good times and bad, you know that He loves you and will take you through the storms of life to a better outcome.

Trials serve to build our trust in God and create an unshakeable faith that brings peace.

For more on the promise of faith, see my post Trusting God.

The Blessing of Discipline

While most of us don’t like discipline, we would welcome it if we understood the blessing it holds for us.

The author of Psalm 94 tells us so.

Blessed is the one you discipline, Lord,
    the one you teach from your law;

Psalm 94:12

Likewise, the author of Hebrews 12 expounds on the blessing of discipline from the LORD.

“. . .My child, don’t make light of the Lord’s discipline,
    and don’t give up when he corrects you.
For the Lord disciplines those he loves,
    and he punishes each one he accepts as his child.”

As you endure this divine discipline, remember that God is treating you as his own children. . .For our earthly fathers disciplined us for a few years, doing the best they knew how. But God’s discipline is always good for us, so that we might share in his holiness. No discipline is enjoyable while it is happening—it’s painful! But afterward there will be a peaceful harvest of right living for those who are trained in this way.

Hebrews 12:5-11

If you are a godly parent, you instruct your children so they know what is best for them. You want them to act in a way that leads them to good outcomes so they may have productive lives that lead to peace and happiness.

When they act in ways that bring destruction into their lives, you discipline them and give them consequences for their actions to turn them around.

Discipline does not mean abuse; it means loving instruction and consequences for wrong actions. Your child may not like it, but you do it because you love them and want what is best for their future.

This is why God disciplines us—to lead us to a sound future with peace and happiness.

The Blessing of Eternal Life

Who wouldn’t want to live forever in a world of continual peace, without physical and emotional pain, rejection, unjust criticism, lies, fraud, division, war, —you name it?

This is the way God intended for us to live from the creation of the world. This is the way that Adam and Eve, the first man and woman God created, lived in the beginning with God.

But sin changed all that by separating us physically from God. We were thrown out of the Garden of Eden and placed in a tainted world susceptible to Satan’s wiles.

Because of sin everything changed, and we now live with all the consequences that drive discontent and fear into our lives.

Our hearts, minds, and bodies are affected by sin every day which is why we see so much mental illness, disease and premature death, as well as division among family members and fellow citizens.

Thankfully, God has provided the solution to this sin problem and its effects. He has promised us that we can go back to the way He intended us to live from the beginning.

This is the promise of eternal life with Him in peace and without the woes of the world we experience today.

We can have this peace today while we’re still living in this world AND be reunited with our heavenly Father when we are called home.

The apostle John who lived and walked with the LORD Jesus over two-thousand years ago bears witness in his letter to us.

“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but so that the world might be saved through Him. The one who believes in Him is not judged; the one who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. 

John 3:16-18

There is a choice that we have to make—we must recognize that we are sinners, repent of our sins, ask the LORD Jesus to save us, and earnestly seek after Him.

We must choose to receive His free gift of eternal life simply by believing in Him.

My prayer for you is to choose (if you haven’t already) Jesus Christ as your LORD and Savior so you will have the blessing of eternal life.

In my next post I plan to write about and explain the blessings we receive when we follow our LORD and Savior Jesus Christ as he taught us in Matthew 5 from His Sermon on the Mount. I hope you’ll join me.

If you would like to receive more about the goodness of God, subscribe to my email list below.

As usual, I have included a beautiful song for your listening pleasure, and I can’t think of a more uplifting song to share with you for this post.

If you want to have a relationship with God and are not sure how or where to start, see my previous posts Relationship with God and Relationship with God – Part 2.

What We Take for Granted

On By CarmenLeave a comment

I’ve been reflecting on life in our society in the United States lately since the devastation of Hurricane Helene hit Florida and the Carolinas. I lived in Florida for twenty-five years and currently reside in South Carolina since 2020. I am very familiar with hurricanes and preparing for them, but by God’s grace, I have never had property damage and haven’t suffered very long without electricity. I have certainly seen horrific damage in Florida and in other areas from hurricanes, but never close to home, until now.

We have a lot of trees down on our property in the woods, so many that we lose track of where we are standing. Thank God, this is the major damage we experienced along with tree branches that fell on parts of our fence which we will have to repair. I have seen other areas with trees on houses and feel for those devastated homeowners.

We were not expecting anything but maybe a little wind and some rain—certainly not the devastation that hit us and parts of Western North Carolina (WNC). After leaving Florida, Helene was supposed to move north and then turn west toward Nashville.

If you’ve ever lived in hurricane territory, you know that hurricanes can shift directions based on weather fronts that move them from their predicted course. This is exactly what happened to the Carolinas.

In WNC, I have seen pictures and have been told of the utter devastation by friends who either were there during the hurricane with family or traveled there afterward to help with disaster assistance. There is no way that those who lost their homes and their lives in the mudslides could have prepared to save themselves. There was no warning for them to prepare to leave their homes nor has anything of this magnitude ever happened in these hard-hit areas. They are simply not used to hurricanes coming near the mountains. I am left to consider their heartbreak, pray for them, and help financially with material goods.

While all this was unfolding, my husband and I were on vacation. Before we left, I remember praying for no turbulence on our flight down to Ft Lauderdale because we were flying in as Helene was coming into Florida on the West Coast. I prayed for those in Florida and other states predicted to be hit as it moved out of Florida. Then, as we used to do while living in Florida, we watched the Weather Channel to see how Helene was moving along, again knowing that it could change directions and possibly move eastward toward the Carolinas. I prayed over our family, friends, and our property—especially our house, fence, and chickens. We had two dead trees that we knew we needed to cut down but hadn’t yet done so. These two trees fell alongside the fence in the woods. They did not hit the fence—thank God!

After we received notice from a neighbor that we had no major damage and our family had no damage, we decided to continue with our vacation. We offered our home and food to our family if they needed it while we were away. Our home was without electricity for about five days, but some in our family were without it for a couple of weeks.

We kept in touch with our family and friends while away and understood their grief over the lack of electricity, a warm shower, the ability to wash clothes, empty shelves in the grocery stores, and the scarcity of fuel for their vehicles. It was a great inconvenience, to say the least.

We in the United States of America don’t like to be inconvenienced.

We have a standard of living that we expect to continue without any interruptions. We have been taught to work hard for a better lifestyle, one that we think ensures our comfort and life as we know it—or like it.

I wonder how many of us (I know there are some among us) stop to think about how good we really have it, and how blessed we are as a nation. How we should be more conservative and prepare for unforeseen circumstances. I also wonder how many think this life we know may not last forever and how many appreciate the “little things” as one of my friends put it.

These “little things” are often the most important things we think will always be there for us and so we do not always take the time to cherish them. I’ve listed a few below.

  • Spending intimate time with the creator of the Universe that loves us and provides all our needs
  • Telling our loved ones that we love them and spending quality time with them
  • Being thankful for a roof over our heads, food on the table, warm running water for a nice shower
  • Appreciating what God has already given us instead of thinking about that one more thing we have to have

I write about these because I am guilty of neglecting them when I get into the zone of my daily life.

My prayer is that we would spend more time thinking about and appreciating these most important blessings in life that we take for granted.

I also pray for the victims of Hurricane Helene who lost family members and homes and who despair while life takes on a new normal. I pray that they see the love and provision of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ amid the pain and struggles.

Before I close, I want to leave you with one thought. It is an exhortation from the apostle Paul written to the church in Philippi to continue in their faith in Jesus Christ regardless of the difficulties going on around them.

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 4:4-7

Wishing you a safe and blessed Thanksgiving with your family and friends.

Enjoy the song below that I’ve included for your listening pleasure.

“Gratitude” by Brandon Lake